Darkest Night
by Donna Z
Summary: Luna Kaftan needs to get youthened and have a child to save the world from the ultimate evil - which is not Satan. PLEASE READ/REVIEW
1. Luna's Choice

Darkest Night: Chapter 1: Preconception  
  
Luna Kaftan was sleeping peacefully in her spacious mansion. It was about four o'clock in the morning.  
  
A Black Widow spider crawled noiselessly toward Luna's vulnerable, sleeping body. It walked delicately on eight legs up her blanket, and stood, waiting, on her face.  
Luna felt the tickling on her face and awakened. She saw the spider and jumped back, simultaneously swatting at the arachnid with her right hand. The huge spider leaped off her face and onto the floor, turning human mid-jump.  
  
Luna fell backwards onto her bed. "Grandmother Niobe!" she cried. Her grandmother had become Lachesis, an aspect of Fate, about twenty-five years before.  
  
Niobe smiled at Luna. "Hello, dear. I'm sorry for calling so late at night, but I have some pressing business that has come up. There is to be a major tangle in the tapestry in the future, as the new Chronos has informed me."  
  
Luna's eyes widened. "Satan?"  
  
Fate sighed heavily. "No, that would be much simpler. This is a force more evil, greedy, and desperate than Satan." She shook her head. "Anyway, we have an important message to give you. Atropos can explain this easier." She changed into old Nicholai, the cutter of the threads of Life.   
  
Luna smiled at him. Nicholai was the father of a good friend of Orb's, and he was the only male Aspect of Fate that had ever existed. She knew him well.  
  
Nicholai smiled back at Luna, who was lovely even if she was physically forty-eight. "You look just like Orb - and a bit like Niobe, as well. Anyway, only by two actions can we prevent this major tangle. The first..." A pair of scissors appeared in his hand. "Luna, your thread is destined to end in thirty years."  
  
Luna was not at all disconcerted by this information. Seventy-eight years were a fine length of a lifetime.   
  
Atropos continued. "If, by some strange chance, you happened to live for an extra twenty-five years, the tangle will be greatly simplified. So, we will arrange for another death in your place, and you will live for an extra twenty-five years, dying at the chronological age of 103. Of course, we will give you a youth potion if you agree that will bring you back to a physical age of twenty-three so that you can die at the same physical age you would have. This will, in turn, steer you away from politics, and since your critical vote has been made, you need not stay Senator any longer. A man will become Senator in your stead who will make the tangle even smaller. As to your youthening, the only work left to us if you agree is to decide who will die in your stead."  
  
Luna knew, from one of the many times she had spent having long conversations with Niobe, that usually the thread that was cut in place of another was usually the life of a person who loved the person who would have died. She whispered softly, "Zane..."  
  
For Luna was fully in love with Zane, the current Thanatos, or Death. She had been his consort for the better part of thirty years. She could not bear to think that he would die for her.  
  
Fate changed back to Lachesis, the Aspect who measured the threads of Life. She hugged her granddaughter comfortingly. "Don't worry, dear - Death needn't die! It will be a Senator who is old and useless, and, I think, and thoroughly evil. He will die when you are fifty-three physical years old."  
  
Luna's spirit lifted, and she smiled. Then, abruptly, she became serious. "What is the second hurdle?"  
  
Lachesis shifted to lovely, bouncy Clotho, the spinner of threads. "We need to create a thread where there should not have been one. A child to an infertile couple. Their daughter should not exist, but she will save us all. Your youthening will make this possible."  
  
Luna quickly grasped all the implications. "You mean Zane and I..."  
  
Clotho shifted back to Lachesis. "Yes, dear. You and Death shall have a daughter. Gaea, your aunt..."  
  
"She's more like my sister, and for all purposes, I like to think of Orb as my sister anyway," interjected Luna.  
  
Niobe smiled. "Orb has intervened. We know Thanatos is an Incarnation and that technically your child should not progress beyond the single-cell stage, but the power of my daughter is strong." Niobe looked thoroughly proud of Gaea, which of course was not difficult. "Luna, you will become pregnant the next time you and Zane make love. Since you will be returned to your physical body at the age of twenty-three, I hypothesize that this...occurrence will take place at six o'clock this evening. Of course, Fate could be wrong." Niobe smirked slightly.  
  
Luna smiled fleetingly. "Small chance of that, Grandma."  
  
Niobe became businesslike again. "Your daughter will be a girl of extraordinary talent, beauty and intelligence; much like yourself, Orb, and Orlene. She will be like your best friend. Yet I must warn you - at the age of eighteen, she will leave you."  
  
Luna was a strong woman, yet her lip trembled. She gulped. "She will die at eighteen? How will that simplify the Tapestry?"  
  
Lachesis looked as though she were bracing herself for a big shock. "No, dear, she may not die. You will see her again, many times, though she will not live with you in your home. Your daughter may become an Incarnation - a vital one."  
  
Luna looked defiant. "Which?"  
  
"Nox, Incarnation of the Night and Mistress of Secrets."  
  
A major Incarnation! The emotional upheavals and surprises of the night were too much for Luna. She sank back on her bed in a dead faint.  
  
Lachesis gently stroked her granddaughter's face. "Sleep well, my darling," she whispered. Then she assumed arachnid form and scurried away into the waning night.  
  
*****  
  
Luna woke up around midday feeling groggy. The night's events came back to her in a flash and she sat straight up. Her eyes flicked around the room, looking for some sign of Fate, but instead her eyes rested on a small bottle of sparkling gold fluid and a note that had not been on her bedside table when she fell asleep. Luna eagerly picked the note up, expecting it to be from Niobe. She was wrong.  
  
Dear Moth,  
This is a bottle of the youth potion that Mother requested I bring to you. If you wish to remain physically forty-eight and stay a Senator, you need not drink the liquid; but I must advise you that the welfare of the world s at stake. If I know you, Moth, and I think that I know you better than anyone else except perhaps Thanatos, you will drink the potion. I'm sure of it. I would bet my position as Gaea on your drinking this potion. Saving the world and being young and beautiful again at the same time! What a bargain!  
I'm glad you're going to have a child. It's really a unique and wonderful experience. I'm so proud of Orlene, even if I didn't raise her, and she is God, the Incarnation of Good, after all. I just know that you will be as proud of your daughter as I am of mine.   
Before you run screaming into Thanatos' arms about your good fortune, I must tell you the catch that is involved. If your daughter finds out about her familial relationships with all of the Incarnations before the time comes, she will be unsuitable for the position of Nox and Atropos will be forced to cut her thread. Be careful, Moth. Tread lightly on your daughter's grave. Yet please try not to lie.  
Love from Eyeball  
  
Luna smiled at the note. Moth and Eyeball were she and Orb's nicknames for each other. Luna was not unduly worried about the warning, either. As a Senator she was more than capable of not telling the truth without lying.   
  
Luna picked up the bottle of youth potion, contemplating it. Then she picked it up and drank every last drop.  
  
The potion was quick and painless. Luna was once again physically twenty-three. Her clothes, which had before fitted her perfectly, now hung loose in some places and were embarrassingly tight in other places. Her face lost its wrinkles and signs of age; her hair was once again a shiny and thick chestnut brown. She was truly lovely once more.  
  
Luna ran to her dressing room. She changed into a light green dress, her winged luna moth slippers, and a moonstone pendant given to her by her father that hung perfectly between her breasts. She slipped a headband with star emeralds into her hair and brushed it out. She was putting on some makeup when she heard her door open. Someone had gotten past her griffins and Muir, her Moon Moth, so it had to be Zane. He was here, as planned.  
  
"Luna!" he called. "I have a break in the midst of all of my soul-collecting." For Death took the souls of those people who died and weighed their souls to determine whether they should go to Heaven or Hell.   
  
Zane took off his deathcloak, and then paused. "Luna, where are you? Usually you come running out to see me when I get time off."  
  
Luna tried to hide her once again dulcet voice. "I'm in the dressing room, dear!" she called.  
  
Zane obviously realized there was something not quite right with her voice. He walked toward the dressing room. "Luna, are you all right? You sound..." he opened the door of the room. His jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide.  
  
For a few minutes they just stared at each other. Then Luna regained her voice and said, "It's a gift from Orb, dear."  
  
Thanatos recovered. "Uh, well, um... let's have dinner."  
  
Luna was vaguely disappointed. She had thought he would be interested in other things, with her new body, but she looked at her watch and realized there was another hour before six o'clock. She went to the dinner table with long-gone grace and used a gemstone her father had left her to place a banquet on the table. She sat down and then they began to eat.  
  
Zane looked thoughtful for a moment. "Luna, honey, I know that Orb is your sister, but I really think that Earth rarely acts to give favors, even to her sister, which could threaten the Tapestry, and I know that she never would lengthen anyone's life for twenty-five years without the permission of Fate.  
  
Luna smiled. "My grandmother, you mean?"  
  
Zane frowned. "There is a familial relationship, yet I think you are hiding something from me, Luna." He looked slightly aggrieved.   
  
Luna smiled again, but fleetingly. "You're right, as always. You have a unique sense of the Incarnations - but then, you are one, so I don't see why not." He blushed a bit. "There is a major tangle that will distort the tapestry beyond repair in twenty-five years that I can simplify if I am younger than seventy-three."  
  
Zane nodded. "That makes sense. Well, I think I am done eating," he said, pushing his plate away.  
  
Luna nodded. "Yes, I think that it is time for - other things." She moved into his arms.  
  
They made love, right on schedule, as Lachesis had foretold. Then Luna fell asleep and Thanatos left to collect more souls.  
  
*****  
  
Thanatos visited Luna about once a week. It wasn't until about five weeks later that Luna realized that the Incarnations had been correct. She was pregnant. She had morning sickness, and she felt hungrier more often, and there were some other slight changes in her body.  
  
It wasn't too long before Thanatos figured something was different as well. "Luna, I would have thought you would be glad to have your body back. Instead, it looks like you've gained some weight. I know you gain weight when you are nervous; is something wrong?"  
  
Luna took a deep breath. "It's not that, Zane. It's - I'm - well, I'm pregnant."  
  
Thanatos stared at Luna for a few moments and his face contorted with rage. "Is that how it is, Luna? You get your younger body back and you go off and fine some other man? I can't get you pregnant, it had to be someone else!" He was beyond anger: he was hysterical.   
  
"No, Zane!" cried Luna. "I would never do that to you! I love you! Gaea let me get pregnant as - as - a present."  
  
Zane glared at her. "You're lying, Luna, and I can tell." He was no longer hysterical, but clearly filled with fury.   
  
Luna nodded. "You're right. Orb let me get pregnant because my child shall athwart the tangled skein. She's going to save the world, Zane. But if she knows whom you are- and Orb, and Niobe, and Mym, Natasha, and Orlene; she won't be able to save the world and we'll all die. It's not my fault!" she pleaded.  
  
Thanatos' expression softened from his wrath yet he plainly was still nonplussed. "You knew about this before, Luna? When you got youthened? And you didn't tell me, either. You can tell me anything, I trusted you."  
  
Luna looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, I know I did wrong, but I was afraid of the consequences."  
  
He nodded. He was still upset at Luna, but it was bearable.  
  
*****  
  
Luna's pregnancy continued normally. On Luna's physical twenty-fourth birthday exactly, she gave birth to a healthy daughter. However, the girl's appearance surprised Luna.   
  
Luna, Niobe, Orb and Orlene had all had clover-honey or buckwheat-honey colored hair, until Luna dyed her hair artificially chestnut brown. Luna's new daughter had dark black-brown hair and almost black eyes from birth. Luna saw her and knew that Niobe and Orb had been right - the girl was destined to be Nox.   
  
Luna decided to name her daughter Selena, another name that meant Moon, like Luna and Orb.   
  
Luna wished that she could give Selena a normal, happy life. Yet this was not destined to be. Whatever Selena's life was to be, it would certainly never be normal.  
  
  
  
  
Author's Note: Most of the characters in this story except for Selena are the inventions of Piers Anthony in his Incarnations of Immortality stories. All ideas herein are mine and do not steal them!  
  
Next Story: Selena grows up a bit and some interesting stuff pertaining to a friendship with Death occurs (although they have no idea of the family relationship...)  



	2. Selena's Demand

Darkest Night Chapter 2: A Date with Death  
  
Thanatos dismounted from Mortis and rung the doorbell of the Kaftan mansion. Luna answered it. "Zane!" she cried, hugging him joyfully. She was now at the physical age of thirty-seven, still lovely to behold. "It's wonderful to see you, your job has been keeping you very busy." She led him into the house.  
  
"Well, there is that plague circulating in Africa, and a lot of people are dying, so Death is busy," he agreed. "How is my daughter, whose name I do not know?"   
  
Luna sighed and ignored the intended barb. "She's thirteen, thirteen-year-olds are handfuls. She's all energy and laughing and friends and schoolwork and all of those teenager activities. If I had known that raising a daughter would be this difficult, I might have declined."  
  
Zane raised a skeptical eyebrow. Luna sighed and conceded. "Well, maybe not. She's a joy to live with. Speaking of which, she will be home soon, she can't see you, you know. Will you visit me later?"  
  
Zane sighed. "Luna, it has been thirteen years, and I still have not gotten a chance to meet my daughter. I don't even know what she looks like. Please, can I just this once..."  
  
Luna shook her head firmly. It had the feel of an old argument. "Zane, we both know that we would be tangling the tapestry beyond repair if you met her! And she's beautiful, just so that you know."  
  
"Fine, I'll see you later, Luna. Have a nice day." Zane kissed her perfunctorily on the cheek and left.  
  
His timing could not have been better. Just minutes after Thanatos' departure, Selena arrived. "Mother!" she called, running in, midnight hair flying. "I discovered something amazing today!"  
  
Luna got up and hugged her. The mother and daughter were very close, as Luna had no really good friends besides those from her former job, and Selena had some trouble relating to other thirteen year olds. She was mature beyond her years, but right now she was youthfully joyous. "I have a magical talent, Mother!" she cried.  
  
Luna stiffened a bit, involuntarily. Her daughter was destined to be Nox, and now she was starting to show signs, five years before. This was normal. Luna could not imagine what life would be like without her darling daughter. But she tried to be enthusiastic and asked, "what is your talent, dear?"  
  
"I can hear other people's thoughts! And, if I concentrate, I can hear their secrets. It's wonderful! Today, I was sitting and having lunch with Robert and I heard him thinking that he thought he was falling in love with me!" The girl laughed. "Of course, it's not love, but I got the courage to ask him out. Now we're an official couple. Isn't that great?"  
  
Luna smiled. "That is a wonderful talent, dear. I myself have a talent, actually, as did my...my sister, and her daughter, and your...your father, and my father, and my grandmother and grandfather...the Kaftan line has always had talents."  
  
Selena's energy diminished. "Oh. So I'm not special?"  
  
Luna was shocked. "Of course you are! My talent is much more boring than yours, I can paint pictures. Orb could play magic music, as could my grandfather, and Orlene, Orb's daughter, could tell a person's suitability for a certain position or for other people. No one has had the talent of hearing another person's thoughts."  
  
Selena regained her flame. "Awesome! Well, I thought I should tell you. I'm going out on a date now, so I'll see you soon." Then she paused. "What happened to Orb and Orlene?"  
  
Luna tried not to lie. "They moved...far away from here," she said, trying to figure out the physical distance of Purgatory.   
  
"Oh, well maybe I'll write to them sometime. I'm going out with Robert, I'll see you later!" Selena ran out the door. Luna flopped down on a chair.  
  
The talent of hearing thoughts and secrets. Nox was mistress of the Night and the Mistress of Secrets; everything made sense. Luna only wished that life didn't need to be so hard on her.   
  
*****  
  
Selena finished her dinner and smiled at her boyfriend across the table. "Thanks for dinner, Robert; it's been a wonderful date."  
  
He smiled back at her. "No problem. So I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow, Selena."  
  
"That sounds correct." She looked a bit reticent. "You may kiss me before I leave."  
  
He seemed more than happy to oblige the invitation, and he kissed her. It was wonderful.   
  
At a nearby table, there was some commotion. A little baby screamed, "I want now! Now!"  
  
The baby's older brother smiled and imitated the child. "Yeah, Now!" He said, and hit the table.  
  
It was a freak accident, the kind that only happens once. A glass of ice water fell off the table onto the floor. A passing waiter carrying a tray with a steak dish slipped, and the contents of the try fell onto the floor. Robert, hearing, broke the kiss and got up to help, but slipped, and fell on a large butcher knife that had been with the steak dish. He screamed in pain.  
  
At that moment, Selena heard the canter of a horse, and an unmistakable neigh. A man, cloaked in black, entered the restaurant, and walked toward Robert's body. Selena looked more closely at the man... and saw that he had a skull instead of a face. It was Death, come to take Robert! She jumped up and screamed, "No, Death, you may not have him!"  
  
The specter turned back to look at her. It pushed a button on its watch, and the restaurant froze. "Are you this boy's love, perchance?"  
  
She felt more than slightly abashed. "Well, we're only thirteen, so it's not love, but I like him a lot. And I don't have many friends my age, and he has been my best friend since before I can remember. Please don't take him!" she pleaded. "What can I do to convince you?"  
  
Death sighed. "I hate to do this to a lovely girl such as yourself, but it must be done. This young man is in great pain, dying - he cannot truly die, though, until I take his soul. He is a good person, for the most part, and he will go to Heaven. That much I can assure you. But I am incapable of keeping him alive, mercy is kinder."  
  
Selena remained stubborn. "Let me go with you."  
  
The Death-skull looked shocked. "Where?"   
  
"To Purgatory, or wherever you go! My mother taught me to believe in good and evil and Heaven and Hell and Purgatory and the Incarnations. I want to see it."  
  
"What you ask is impossible. Think about the consequences! Mortals in Purgatory slowly die. You can't stay for too long. Besides, your parents...a day in Purgatory is equal to a year in the normal world. Your parents would think you were dead!"  
  
Selena considered. "I'll pack food, and I'll go to my mother first. Do you have any pother objections?"  
  
Death considered. "No. You are a good girl, and I think that you must have what you seek. I shall meet you by the entrance to this restaurant in an hour."  
  
Selena nodded. "Fine. I'll see you soon, Death."  
  
"Call me Thanatos."  
  
She nodded and turned. Then she broke into a run and headed toward Kaftan Mansion.  
  
*****  
  
"Robert died? In the restaurant?" Luna seemed shocked.   
  
Selena sobbed. "Yes, mother. And then Death came to take his soul. And I made a deal with him. He's going to take me to Purgatory to meet the other six major Incarnations. I don't know why he agreed, but he did, and I'm going. He says it will take five days; I understand that's five years of our time."  
  
Luna's eyes opened wide. "Eighteen years old..." she whispered. Then she regained her composure. "Yes, dear, you may go. Please request from Fate that you age one year physically for each day in Purgatory as well, so that you return to here in your eighteen year old body. I'll miss you, but it's for the best, I suppose." Tears shone in her eyes. "Go and learn much, my dear, I shall be waiting here for you when you return."  
  
"Oh, mother! You'll be forty two!"  
  
"A fate only marginally better than Death," Luna agreed. Then the dissimilar mother and daughter hugged and Luna said, "Take care, Selena!"  
  
"You too!" called Selena. She got on the magic carpet her mother had given her and flew off into the darkness back towards the restaurant.  
  
Luna cried freely. Her daughter was leaving her for five years, with no contact. But Luna was a sensible woman and she knew that this trip was fated. Selena would go with her father and meet all of the incarnations. Thus her ascension to Nox would be that much easier for them to accept. Everything was working out, in its own fashion.  
  
Luna burst into fresh tears.  
  
*****  
  
Selena landed in front of the restaurant. Death was waiting with his pale horse. "This is Mortis," he explained. "My Deathsteed. He is a good friend and he helps me reach my clients on time." He helped Selena mount the horse behind him.  
  
"Clients?" asked Selena. She felt a bit slow.  
  
Thanatos clarified. "I determine whether the souls of people who are approximately in balance should go to heaven or hell."  
  
"Oh," said Selena. "So you don't deal in death, really, but the proper placement of the souls of the dead."  
  
"Correct. Atropos, the oldest Aspect of Fate, cuts the threads of life to determine when a person's life will end. I suppose that she is the one who deals directly in death." Then Thanatos' skullhead grinned. "Except the current Atropos is actually a male. Fate has three aspects, Lachesis, who measures the threads of life, and Clotho, who spins the threads.  
  
Selena nodded patiently. "My mother told me all of that. So, which Incarnation am I meeting first?"  
  
Thanatos seemed surprised but not exactly upset. "I think that you should first meet Chronos, the Incarnation of Time. But be careful when you go to his mansion; he lives a backwards life, and if you aren't careful you meet yourself after you leave." Seeing Selena's bored expression, he quickly added, "But you already knew that, of course."  
  
"Yes," she said.   
  
Thanatos looked at his watch and sighed. "You should sleep in the my mansion while I go and fetch some clients. Eat something, too, if you're hungry. I'll come and wake you when I'm finished." He walked into his mansion. "Butler! This girl..." he paused and asked her in a confidential tone, "I don't know why this didn't come up before, but, well...what is your name?"  
  
Selena burst out laughing. "Selena."  
  
Thanatos finished what he was saying. "This girl, Selena, needs a room. She'll be staying here for five nights, I think."  
  
"As you wish, sir," said the butler dutifully. He walked up a grand staircase to the bedrooms.   
  
Selena leaned forward. "Thanatos, can you ask Fate if I can age one physical year each day that I'm here? My mother wants me to be physically eighteen, my chronological age, when I return home."  
  
Thanatos nodded. "A sensible request. Do not worry; I believe that your request has already been fulfilled. Sleep well, Selena." He left. Out from the window, Selena could see him mount Mortis.  
  
What a strange day it had been, from the discovery of her talent to the death of her boyfriend to her trip to Purgatory. Selena was still not entirely recovered from Robert's death, but it felt better to know Death personally and to know that Robert was going to heaven.  
  
Eventually, Selena fell asleep. She was only mortal, after all, and she needed rest from the emotional upheavals of the long day. She did not dream.  
  
*****  
  
Author's Note: I'm sorry that this took so long to get out, but I was working on my other series, the Beginner's Guide to Saving Xanth. Please review this story if you liked it, and tell me what you think. Actually, review this story even if you didn't like it, or if it was indifferent, or whatever. I welcome all suggestions to the continuation of this story; if you have any ideas, email me at DonnaGZ@aol.com Thanks.  
  
  
  
  



	3. Death, Time and Fate

Selena awoke feeling older than she was when she went to sleep. Then she remembered that she was going to age physically one year a day. After doing some quick mental math, she figured out that she aged a day in about four minutes, so her several hour's sleep had resulted in a few months age difference. But it was early in the morning so she didn't think much more. Instead she got up, brushed out her thick, shiny, straight midnight black hair, and went to the closet to find something to wear. Last night she had just fallen asleep in the outfit she had worn to her date with Robert, a black three-quarter length low cut top and a black miniskirt. In retrospect, she had no idea how she had fallen asleep with these uncomfortable clothes on, but then again, she had been very tired. So she opened the closet, wondering what type of clothing Thanatos kept.  
  
Surveying the array before her, Selena smiled. The closet was full of long, billowing gowns that she could never wear. She was now a nearly physically fourteen-year-old girl; she needed some youthful style. Selena carefully put her clothing in the cleaning machine; the skirt and shirt came out neatly pressed and immaculately spotless. So she slipped back into the apparel and found a sheer, silvery shirt to put over her black top. Looking in the mirror, she had to admit that she was a pretty girl. So she went back and put on some makeup. It was hard to believe that you were in Purgatory, ready to meet all of the Incarnations of Immortality when you were doing something as routine as dressing up.  
  
Selena sighed. How her life had changed since the beginning of her date with Robert! She had matured greatly, and not only because she was physically older.  
  
There was a polite knock on the door. Selena, still looking in the mirror, said curiously, "Come in, please." The door opened. It was the butler.   
  
"Excuse me, miss, but Thanatos requests your presence for a morning meal. We have had some food shipped in from the mortal realm for you to eat. Would you come downstairs?"  
  
"Oh yes, of course I will!" Selena turned from the mirror and walked down to the dining room of the large mansion. Apparently the office of Death had certain perks, like more than adequate lodging. She smiled at the specter when she arrived. "Good morning, sir."  
  
"Oh, don't call me sir, miss Selena. I hope to be...friends with you. You remind me very much of someone I once knew," said Thanatos.  
  
"If I can't call you sir, then don't call me miss!" Selena flared. Then, overtaken by her natural feminine curiosity, she asked, "Was this someone a woman?"  
  
The death-head seemed to sigh. "Yes, a woman I loved. We had a...complex relationship. Everything is more difficult when she ages and you don't, naturally. But she always understood." If it was possible for a skull face to look wistful, this one did. "I still love her, and visit her, but there is a gap between us. It's...it's a long story."  
  
'I wish that we still understood each other...now whenever I see her she just pushes me away to be with her daughter.' Thanatos' voice filled Selena's head. She nearly jumped but then calmed down. She was getting more used to her talent of hearing people's thoughts, especially when the person in question thought powerfully. But at the moment she dampened her sensitivity to his thoughts, partially because she understood his need for privacy and mostly because she didn't really want to know about Death and his ex-girlfriend's sex lives. She just continued to eat her food.   
  
After an awkward silence, Selena spoke again. "The butler said that he had this food shipped from the mortal realm. Why is that?"  
  
Thanatos seemed glad for the change of subject. "Purgatory food is not nourishing enough to sustain mortals. Only mortal food can do that. So we put in a request to Fate, who went and ordered this for you. She didn't seem surprised, but then, she does weave the Tapestry of Life."  
  
"Which Aspect did you speak to?" asked Selena, interested.  
  
"Lachesis. She, well, she is the grandmother of my mortal woman."  
  
"Oh." The silence came again. Selena searched her mind and asked the first question that popped into her head. "Why didn't the butler just go and get the food?"  
  
Thanatos' death-head grinned a little. "You are a very smart girl! The butler is not a real person, but a soul, a dead person whose soul was equally balanced between good and evil."  
  
"Oh, yeah. I knew that, I just forgot. All of the purgatory staff are just souls, if I recall from Mother's tutoring about the Incarnations."  
  
"You have a very well-informed mother."  
  
"Yes," Selena answered. She did not offer any more information; Luna had warned her not to tell Death the name of her mother or her last name or too much of her own history for some unknown motherly reason.   
  
The silence was getting unbearable, so Selena finally asked, "What are we going to do today?"  
  
The skeletal hands shuffled through some papers. "I planned to bring you to meet Chronos before he changes and Fate, tonight. That should take all day. You'll like them, I think." The butler materialized seemingly out of nowhere and started to clear off the table. Thanatos stood and said, "We'd better leave."  
  
So the skeletal death specter and young pretty girl got on Mortis, in equine form, and rode to the mansion of time.  
  
~*~  
  
The ride itself took nearly no time at all. Before they entered, Thanatos warned Selena, "Depending on how long you stay, you will lose several hours. You might even meet yourself going into the mansion. So we should probably take a trip somewhere after or let you sleep it off so that you don't get alarmed."  
  
"I know!" said Selena impatiently. "Can we go in?"  
  
"I keep forgetting how much you do know. Yes, we can go in."  
  
The door opened and a pretty maid who was apparently a balanced soul received the Incarnation and the girl. "The Incarnation of Time is here, responding to the message you sent five hours ago, Sir," she said politely.   
  
"Five hours," Thanatos murmured. Selena understood the meaning: In five hours Thanatos would send Chronos a message to be here. Now, though, he didn't need to send the message at all, because Chronos was immune to paradox. The two guests stepped in.  
  
"Ah, welcome, Thanatos. How are you? And I see you bring a fourteen year old mortal maiden with you." He smiled and shook his fellow Incarnation's hand, then shook Selena's hand. He wore a long white cape that looked rather like a dress and he had an uncertain air about him. Then Selena remembered that he was approaching the end of his term. Since Chronos lived backward, that meant that to him, he had just started his term a few days ago. No wonder he felt uncertain.   
  
Thanatos explained himself. "This mortal maiden is Selena. She was present and witnessed the death of one she cared for last night in mortal time, and she demanded I bring her to Purgatory and show her the Incarnations."  
  
"The girl has got quite a bit of spunk," said Chronos appreciatively. "She was there when I began, oh, a few days ago, looking a few years older, though. I didn't inquire, then; I didn't recognize the difference between mortal and Incarnation. I thought she was one of us. Surely a grievous mistake, for she was standing next to Fate, and one so lovely as she was, if an Incarnation, could only be Clotho."  
  
Selena blushed, extremely flattered. In a few days she would be about seventeen, physically, and Chronos was paying her the highest compliment to her beauty to say that she was as pretty as Clotho, the youngest, most beautiful Aspect of Fate. She murmured, "Thank you, sir." Then she brightened up. "What are your powers, as Chronos? I'm not sure if you are allowed to show me, but if you can, I..."  
  
He raised a hand. "Peace, Selena. I will show you the powers I have learnt in my limited time in office, which are not many. I can move forward and backward in time." He fished something out of his pocket. The Hourglass! Luna had told Selena all about it. Apparently the Hourglass was the most powerful magical tool ever made. Chronos touched it, and she was bounced forward a few years.   
  
Everything had changed, in Purgatory. Purgatory now resembled a space-age space station, and the Mansion of Time was a gravitized space lodging of great beauty and opulence. It looked so different!   
  
"Wow," Selena whispered. Chronos nodded knowingly, and Thanatos, still with them, exchanged a glance with Chronos. Selena couldn't help picking up the shared thought. 'Women. Such beauty, and they melt completely. That and horses.' Then she picked up Chronos' thought, 'She may be only fourteen now, but you should see her when she is seventeen. Her beauty makes Niobe's body in youth look drab and average.'  
  
Selena reeled. She didn't really want to hear this! She desensitized her talent again and asked, "Can you go into the world's past, too?"  
  
Instantly the two Incarnations and she were in a time that she recognized as the Ice Age. Chronos, just for fun, used the Hourglass to move the party of three to earth. There, the land was lush and green, and there were animals everywhere and very few people. It was lovely. Selena sighed again. Chronos touched his hourglass again and they were back in the present, in the Mansion of Time. What a journey!  
  
"The Hourglass can be used for other uses as well. It can turn me to normal time, for short periods; it can turn other people and Incarnations to backwards time; it wan show people alternate realities, et cetera. I think you understand."  
  
Selena nodded, awestruck. "You probably have a big job, if you can do all of those cool things. What does Time do?"  
  
So they spoke for a while more. Finally, Selena stood and stretched. "We had better get going. I want to catch more Purgatory sights today, if possible. It was really nice meeting you," she added.  
  
"It was wonderful to meet you too, Selena. Take care!" Chronos smiled. He shook her hand. Then he turned to Thanatos and said, "You have been here three hours. "I'll move you ahead in time six."  
  
"Oh - where we would have been, if the Mansion wasn't going backwards," said Selena, catching on.  
  
"Exactly." He touched the Hourglass. Instantly Selena was three months older than she had been when she said goodbye. It was interesting, the age effect. Selena had noticed herself gradually losing age as she stayed in the Mansion. It had been intriguing.   
  
She turned to Thanatos. "What are we waiting for?" she asked with a smile. They both mounted Mortis and sped off to the Abode of Fate.  
  
~*~  
  
Thanatos was enjoying this trip with the pretty mortal girl. He had not been on such a complete tour of Purgatory since Lachesis helped him get started. So now he and Selena would visit Fate's Abode. They arrived at the Abode soon after their departure from the Mansion of Time. Then Thanatos noticed a flashing light on Mortis' saddle. He asked, "What is it, Mortis?"  
  
Mortis snorted, and Thanatos' translator jewels translated. "You have some appointments to catch up on, and I think that your woman wishes to see you. It has been a while."  
  
"Yes," Thanatos agreed. Luna would want to see him. He could tell her all about this sweet mortal girl Selena whom he was showing Purgatory to; Luna would enjoy that. So he turned to Selena. "This giant web you see before you is the Abode of Fate. Just climb up and knock on the door; she will answer, I guarantee it. I need to go."  
  
Selena, quick on the uptake, nodded. "Yes, of course. I will meet you back at the Death Manor, I'm sure Fate can use a travel-thread. Thank you for bringing me here." She smiled sweetly.  
  
Thanatos nodded in appreciation, both of her pretty smile and in her great knowledge of Fate's threads. She had been educated well, surely! Thanatos nodded to her, mounted Mortis, and said, "To Luna!"  
  
Selena dismissed the name Luna as a coincidence. Surely there were many women in the world with that name! So she climbed up the web, gingerly. Soon she discovered that the threads were rather like ropes, and she made her way across to the Abode.   
  
There she knocked on the door. A very pretty young Asian woman answered the door. "Hello?" she asked uncertainly.  
  
"Oh, you must be Clotho. I'm Selena. Thanatos is taking me on a tour of Purgatory, to meet all of the Incarnations. Originally it was because he, well, he..." she faltered and took a deep breath. "He took the soul of one I cared for. So I demanded to come here. Now I think that my original reasons for coming were rather petty and that the only reason the Incarnations would tolerate me up here would be that this is instrumental to my destiny."  
  
Clotho switched to Lachesis, a middle-aged woman who looked as though she must have been very pretty when she was younger. "You are wise indeed, child! Come with me to the Tapestry." Lachesis extended her hand.   
  
Selena accepted the proffered hand and was led to the Tapestry of Life. It was a beautiful, complex pattern of threads, constantly moving upwards slowly. Lachesis used a small rod-shaped staff to point out some threads. Selena noticed that all threads began at the juncture of two other threads. Conception, she realized. Lachesis searched with a critical eye and then pointed out Selena's thread and rolled the tapestry up to Selena's own conception.  
  
Then an audible change crossed Lachesis' face. She gasped and thought loudly, 'This is Luna's daughter!' Selena quickly desensitized her talent and gazed at the tapestry. And gaped.  
  
Selena's thread started off only one other thread! There was no apparent father involved in her conception. How could that be? Well, it could be artificial insemination or something. But Lachesis looked shell-shocked. Obviously she recognized the thread of Selena's mother. What was going on?  
  
Lachesis switched to Atropos, an elderly...man. Her mother had told her that Fate was usually female! How odd. The man looked at her quickly and nodded. 'She does have the family flavor...Orb's family flavor..." he murmured.  
  
"You knew Orb?" she asked.  
  
The man jumped. "You heard my conversation with the other Aspects?"  
  
She hit herself in the head with the heel of her hand. "Oh, I didn't mean to embarrass you! I didn't mean to give away my secret either. I have a magic talent, you see. If I don't concentrate, I can hear the most emphatic thoughts of the people around me; if I do concentrate, I can find any person's thoughts, fears, and secrets. I don't do it, though; it's not polite."  
  
"The mistress of secrets," he murmured internally. Then, he said to her, "My name is Nicholai. I was an old gypsy man. My wife died after giving birth to my daughter; my daughter was blind and slightly deformed. Then, your great-aunt Orb came, and she had the magic music. My daughter had the music, too, but she was nowhere near as talented as Orb. Orb taught her the music and my daughter was easily able to nab a gypsy man. She helped us more than we can ever repay, and for this I am grateful." He kissed Selena's hand.  
  
Selena blushed, but her mind didn't stray for long. "My great-aunt? I thought she was just my aunt!"  
  
"It is a complex situation. She is your mother's chronological age."  
  
"Oh." Selena had more questions than ever, but she didn't formulate them completely. So instead she asked Fate to show her what they did.  
  
~*~  
  
After a few highly enjoyable hours, Selena asked Lachesis to take her back to the Manor of Death. Lachesis obliged, and, after dropping her off, whispered, "We shall see you soon, my dear."  
  
Selena nodded. "Yes, when Chronos changes," she agreed. But somehow she felt that there was a weight to Lachesis' words that she didn't quite understand.  
  
Lachesis used her travel-thread to go back to the Abode. Selena, ravenously hungry, went down to the dinner table. "Butler," she called.  
  
The butler appeared. "Yes, mistress," he said subserviently. She smiled at him. "Can I have some food? I'm starved."  
  
"Yes, naturally, mistress; that is the nature of Purgatory. Any food you had in Chronos or Fate's dwellings would be insubstantial to your mortal flesh. Here is some food, from your realm." He brought out a tray of steaming food. Selena ate it all and then returned to the room in which she had slept the night before.  
  
On further perusal of the room, she noticed a bookcase that had escaped her eye previously. The books were of the mortal type. Many were philosophic, about death; this was hardly surprising. She noticed seven volumes, the series of events since the current Death had begun his term. This was sure to be interesting! But then her eye fell on another book. It was titled Savior of Man: The life of Luna Kaftan up to the year 2000.   
  
Selena froze. That was her mother's name! She pulled the book out dubiously. On the front was a full-color picture of her mother. But she looked to be at the physical age of forty-five. Now, in the mortal realm, it was the year 2017. Her mother was forty-five seventeen years ago? What was going on? Was this some sort of cruel joke?   
  
Selena skipped to the last chapter. Luna Kaftan had been an important Senator of the United States. She had nearly missed the critical vote seventeen years ago to declare the office of the Incarnation of Good empty; because Luna had arrived at the vote, however late, the office was declared empty and a new Incarnation of Good was elected by the Incarnations. They had picked a female ghost who was of a certain personality and soul that all of the Incarnations had decided that she was perfect, and indeed destined for the position. Luna Kaftan had, in effect, saved the world from evil. After all, if there was no active Incarnation of Good, Evil could take over. Luna had been instrumental, along with the five Major Incarnations. Selena understood that even Satan had helped a little by being the Incarnation to nominate the ghost, but Luna had enabled everything to happen. "Why didn't she ever tell me?' Selena whispered.  
  
~*~  
  
Author's Note:   
Okay, I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. I'm sorry it took me so long to get up, but I'm already started on the next one, so that will go up soon. I intend to get it up by Sunday evening. Everyone who reads this, PLEASE REVIEW! If you liked it, didn't like it, or didn't care, review ANYWAY! I love suggestions and if anyone has any ideas I would be glad to integrate them.  
Also, please read and review my other stories. I have two Xanth stories posted, A Beginner's Guide to Saving Xanth and The Talent of Stella Human. I have one story up under In the Forests of the Night and one story under the Dalemark Quartet. Please read them, review them, and enjoy them, Thanks a lot.  
Stella  
  



	4. War and Earth

Selena awoke feeling completely refreshed. Some of the shocks of the prior evening had melted away. Lying in bed, Selena realized that the Incarnations had to know about the role that Luna had played in the salvation of the world. She resolved not to tell anyone about what she had discovered. Well, actually, when she got home she would definitely have a long talk with her mother, that was for sure.   
  
Selena got up and looked in the mirror. Sure enough, she was a physical year older than she had been the morning before. Now she was nearly fifteen. Tossing her lustrous black hair, she realized that she was getting prettier every day. She went up to the closet in her room.   
  
The prior day, she had decided not to wear any of the dresses in this closet. Today she decided to be a little less...mortal, and to follow Purgatory fashion. Maybe this was an attitude that came with age as well.   
  
So Selena picked out a silver dress from the closet. It was form fitting and had black lace strips for straps, as well as a thin black lace trim for a neckline and around the hem. For a dress, she had to admit, it wasn't bad. It was rather pretty, and it set off her fair skin and black hair and eyes. After putting on some makeup, she casually walked downstairs.  
  
The butler was setting the table. "Good morning, Miss Selena," he said formally. "Fresh food has been brought in from the mortal realm for you. Today I ordered a fruit medley."  
  
"Wonderful!" Selena exclaimed, and she sat down at the table eagerly. "Thank you, sir. By the way - what is your name?"  
  
"My name?" The butler looked a bit forlorn. "Barely anyone has bothered to ask my name, ever. Well, miss, my name is Lanscombe."   
  
"Well, thank you for the fruit, which is surely delicious, Lanscombe." She smiled prettily. The butler looked almost confused, then nodded and retreated into the kitchen. At the same moment, Thanatos appeared at the door. Selena rose.  
  
"Good morning, Thanatos," she greeted him, smiling. "Where have you been all of this time?"  
  
Thanatos' death head grinned back at her. "I went and visited my love, as you suggested. Then I went and collected many souls. Not many people are dying, now, so I don't have that much work. But today, as Mars informed me, there is to be a major battle on the African coast. I had better go there and collect the souls of the people as they die."  
  
Selena shuddered, involuntarily.  
  
Thanatos looked thoughtful, and then suggested, "Why don't you come with me? You can talk to Mars as the battle goes on, then he can use the Red Sword to bring you to Gaea. You'll like her; she mentioned wanting to meet you." He paused. "No, wait, Lachesis mentioned that she wanted to bring you to Ge. Mars will bring you to Lachesis, I suppose."  
  
"Ge?"  
  
"The Green Earth-mother."  
  
"Oh." Selena's fork speared a piece of pineapple as she considered this as a plan for the day. "Sounds good. It will be interesting to see Mars at work."  
  
"Good." Thanatos swirled his cape and offered her a bone hand. "Let's go, then."  
  
Selena accepted the proffered hand and got up behind him on Mortis. As she got up, she heard his powerful thought, 'this girl is only fourteen? She will be stunning when she grows up!' Selena quickly dampened her talent but could not suppress a smile. She was only fourteen, but she would turn fifteen at about noon. She rather liked this instant-age effect.  
  
Mortis jumped out and galloped across a wide savannah. Eventually they came to an open plain where a huge battle was in progress. Everywhere around them mortals were throwing grenades, shooting guns, and doing whatever they could to harm the people on the opposite side. Selena grimaced.   
  
Mortis skirted the battle and came to a man, standing off towards the side, watching. He was small but handsome, maybe twenty-five or so, Indian, and wearing army fatigues. Selena wondered vaguely why he wasn't involved in the battle.   
  
Thanatos greeted the man. "Hello, War."  
  
"Death!" the man cried, and he stood up and walked toward them. "And a ravishing mortal maiden! What are you doing in this battle? Here, get behind..."  
  
Thanatos lifted a bone hand. "At ease, Mars. She is on a mission, and we believe that she is vital to the good of the earth in the future. The Incarnations will all reverse her death, if she does die."  
  
Mars stiffened. "You speak so freely in front of her?"  
  
Now Selena spoke, pale with anger. "Death, Time and Fate have told me many of the secrets of their positions. By the time my quest is over, I will probably know as much about the Incarnations as you yourself do." She paused. "Perhaps more. Anyway, I'm not a threat - I'm just a normal mortal."  
  
Although Mars relaxed, he didn't look sure. "I think you are not completely normal, but I think you have good intentions. What is your name?"  
  
"I am Selena."  
  
The Indian man smiled at her. "I am Mars, sometimes called Ares, the Incarnation of war. As a mortal, I was a Hindu prince, and my name translated in English to 'Pride of the Kingdom'. I met a woman, who I loved, and she called me Mym, because I couldn't tell her my real name. Now I have another love, a Scandinavian princess named Ligeia, and a demoness who serves as a harem named Lila. Is this enough information to have you give to me a more thorough introduction?"  
  
Selena nodded; she liked this man. But then she paused. "My mother told me...never to tell Thanatos my true nature. She said that it didn't matter to Chronos, who lived backwards, and that Fate and Earth would find out anyway, and that Good and Evil might research my lineage if they feel the need, but never to tell Death. I don't think she mentioned you, so I guess I can tell you, but..."  
  
Mars nodded. "Good enough. Thanatos, go collect some souls in the interim. This may be important."  
  
Thanatos nodded and walked off. Mars turned back to her and gave her a questioning glance. So Selena provided him with her whole history, in a few sentences.  
  
"I am the daughter of Luna Kaftan and an unknown father. She refuses to tell me whom my father is, saying that one day I will know. Actually, a strange number of people have disappeared in my family. My maternal great-grandmother, my mother's sister, or maybe her aunt Orb, and Orb's daughter Orlene. In the tradition of my family, I have a magic talent - I can hear the thoughts of others, when I tune in, and when I don't tune in, I hear emphatic thoughts anyway. Someone I cared about died, and I demanded that Death take me to Purgatory to meet the Incarnations. Then I thought it was to convince myself they existed, but now I think, after my visit with Fate, that my destiny is somehow intertwined." She gasped in a breath. "Has this been enough for you?"  
  
"And how," he murmured. His eyes looked a bit unfocused. "This is amazing!" Then he turned back to her. "Your mother has good reason not to tell Death about your lineage. And Lachesis knows already, I'm sure. Gaea will understand immediately. I think that I received you badly for your importance, Selena. I cordially greet you to Purgatory and wish you the best of luck in your quest for information." He bowed a little.   
  
Selena blushed and then asked, "Does my importance have to do with my mother's saving the world and helping elect the new Incarnation of good?"  
  
Mars blanched. "You know?"  
  
"Well, not the full story," Selena admitted. "I read about it a little, and then realized that there had to be a reason that my mother never told me, so I put down the book and went to sleep. I think I probably did the right thing."  
  
"Indubitably," Mars agreed. "You are wise, Very well, I shall tell you about my job. I use the Red Sword, which provokes violence in pockets of unrest. This brings tensions to the surface, and eventually eradicates them. Thus, after promoting violence, I am helping establish peace in the Mortal Realm. I have been planning World War Three for some time now, and it should make the balance of the mortal realm decidedly positive, for I am on the side of the Incarnation of Good. One of the many perks of my job is that I can understand and speak any language. It's wonderful."  
  
Selena was impressed. "Your job may be less complex, but you have a lot of work to do! Deciding which places should go to war, and starting wars, controlling them - until now I thought war was a terrible thing, but now I realize it is a necessary evil. You have broadened my outlook, Mars."  
  
"I am glad, Selena Kaftan."  
  
Thanatos appeared. "My work here is done," he said, a little gruffly. Selena wondered whether he wasn't a bit put off by the fact that their conversation did not include him. "Perhaps we should seek out Gaea, Selena."  
  
"Excellent! I do want to meet her. Thank you, Mars, for the insight. I'll see you soon, I suppose, at the time when Chronos changes, in two and a half days. And I hope to see you during my last day here too."  
  
'Not as last as you may think' his voice came in her head. Out loud, he said, "When Chronos changes," and disappeared.   
  
Selena grinned. This had certainly been interesting! Now she could go and meet the Incarnation of Earth, and she could barely wait. She jumped onto Mortis' back and said, "Let's go!" Thanatos mounted a second later and they were off.  
  
~*~  
  
Soon they arrived at Gaea's Treehouse. Selena noticed that there was a Wide chasm surrounding the place, with no seeming way of getting across. Thanatos nodded grimly. "Gaea likes to give the people coming in challenges. You wouldn't be able to get in at all if I weren't with you: Mortis can get through to here, but mortals can't alone. This is your challenge to surpass, though, Selena."  
  
Selena nodded. She focused on her talent. She listened for thoughts inside the chasm, while tuning out any thoughts from her companion and Mortis. Straining at their fullest, she heard vague grumblings. A monster, surely. She reported to Thanatos. He nodded slightly. "I didn't know you could read thoughts, though," he said, disgruntled.  
  
Oops! Selena had blown it this time. "Sorry, Thanatos. It was supposed to be my secret, I guess. I didn't want you thinking I was poking around inside your mind when I wasn't. I didn't poke at all."  
  
"Oh well," he said.   
  
She considered. "Mortis can't bring us across?"  
  
"No." That was all the answer she received, but she understood. Thanatos had apparently been here many times before now! So she thought and considered and pondered and came up with an answer. "We can't go into the chasm, so we'll have to go over it. I don't have a carpet, and there isn't a bridge, and neither of us can fly, so this seems a problem. I guess that I'll try to weave a carpet from those reeds over there and you look for an invisible bridge. If neither works, then we'll descend, and if the monster comes, you can touch it." This seemed logical.   
  
So the two set off. Selena went and started to weave the carpet out of the plants nearby. It seemed unrealistic, but she doubted the rules of this place were realistic. Finally she had a fairly serviceable, if vegetative, flying carpet. Good.   
  
Meanwhile, Thanatos called, "I found something!"  
  
Selena hurried over. "Is it an invisible bridge?"  
  
"No, more like an air current. A strange air flow that will direct a carpet."  
  
"Perfect!" Selena boarded her carpet. "Let's go!" He climbed on beside her.   
  
Unfortunately, the current went straight down into the chasm. Selena was certain they were on the correct route, but she was afraid. Sure enough, the monster appeared.   
  
It was a huge, fearsome dragon, one that could fly. Selena gulped. Death extended one of his bonelike hands and...  
  
"Wait!" called Selena. "We should spare it. Hold on, I'm going to search its thoughts."  
  
Thanatos looked very confused, but Selena concentrated. Ah, yes. There was a password.   
  
"Noctes," she said. The dragon hurtled toward them - and took one of them each in a hand. He flew upwards and set them down gently at the door to the treehouse. Thanatos turned and nodded towards Selena. "Well done. Your instincts served you well. Now we can enter."  
  
The two nerved themselves and stepped into the trunk of the large tree.  
  
"Welcome, Thanatos, Selena," said a voice. The voice belonged to a middle-aged woman with green hair who stepped out of the shadows. Gaea, apparently. Selena smiled.   
  
Gaea looked at her speculatively. "Ah, I see you have good lineage, girl. The best. But there are many secrets yet to be discovered." The woman smiled, and there was an ageless quality to her look of wisdom. "You will discover all soon enough. On the fifth day, you will link the ties, I think."  
  
Selena gaped and wondered. She was speaking like Fate! Then she remembered. "Oh, no!"  
  
Thanatos turned to her. "What is it?"  
  
"Lachesis wanted to bring me here, I think."  
  
"Oh, yes, she did; I had forgotten. Gaea, could you notify her?"  
  
"Of course," Gaea said smoothly. In a few instants Lachesis slid on her thread through the wall of the treehouse. "Thank you for minding my request, Thanatos," she grumped. Selena could tell, though, that she was only teasing.   
  
Lachesis searched through her pockets and pulled out a thread. "Here: slide back to the Death Manor with this," she said, handing it to Thanatos. He nodded and slid away. Then Lachesis turned to Gaea and hugged her. "How are you, my dear?" she asked tearfully.  
  
Selena made a connection. "You two are related! Mother and daughter! I can tell - Lachesis' attitude reminds me much of my mother's."   
  
Lachesis and Gaea shared a secretive glance. Then Gaea said, "This is not my natural form, actually. I looked like this, on earth, before I became immortal." Gaea changed to a twenty-something year old woman who was nearly stunningly lovely and looked very much like a younger Lachesis. In fact, she bore some resemblance to Luna. Strange. Selena shook it off and asked, "Will you tell me about your job?"  
  
Gaea nodded. "Of course, dear," she agreed. They spent a few hours discussing the various parts of the job of the Incarnation of Earth, such as the elements, and Gaea showed her parts of the Llano, the Song of Songs, her ultimate magic. The music was lovely, and Selena enjoyed the companionship and the information. She hated to see the end of the visit approach. Finally, Gaea turned to her.   
  
"There is one last aspect of the Llano," she told Selena. "I can summon any person, instantly, by using their personal theme."  
  
"What wonderful magic!" Selena cried girlishly, even though she was fifteen.  
  
"You have wonderful magic yourself, dear," said Gaea. Selena didn't bother to wonder how Gaea knew. "You see, Selena, I will call for you the man whom with you will meet, among many others, in Hell tomorrow."  
  
"A demon?" Selena was a little scared.  
  
"No, no demon. You are not supposed to bring Thanatos with you, either up to Heaven or down to Hell, but I will come with you, on both. You will meet this man briefly; it is Natasha, the man I love."  
  
"Natasha? That's not a masculine name! Wait - It's not the name for a demon, either! Mother taught me to recognize. So it has to be a former Incarnation of Evil."  
  
Gaea nodded appreciatively, saying, "Wonderful! You have a quick mind. Actually, we should probably just meet with Natasha tomorrow. I will meet you at the Manor of Death in the morning, when I am sure you are awake. Is that permissible to you?"  
  
"That sounds wonderful," said Selena, a little shyly. This powerful woman awed her, yet she seemed very comfortable and compatible. Selena could barely wait.  
  
"And, Selena..." The Incarnation of Earth paused before Lachesis and Selena slid on the thread back to the Manor of Death - "You look lovely."  
  
Selena flushed and murmured, "Thank you." Lachesis smiled at her daughter and the two slid back to Thanatos' demesne.   
  
Once there, Selena had a quick meal of food imported from the mortal realm and quickly dropped off to sleep. If all of her days in Purgatory were like the last two, these would be some of the best days of her life!  
  
~*~  
  
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the latest installment. I know that nothing has happened yet in the battle between good and evil, but I hope you are enjoying my stories nonetheless. Please review.  
  



	5. Evil and Good

Darkest Night 5  
  
Selena groggily opened her eyes on a new morning. The windows of her room were open and bright sunlight streamed in. She felt a bit tired but mostly refreshed, very hungry, and astoundingly fifteen, nearly sixteen. She had a more mature outlook on her stay in Purgatory and, as she walked to the mirror, she noticed some physical differences. Certainly she looked far different than she had when she came to Purgatory as a thirteen year old.  
  
Well, today she would meet the Incarnations of Good and Evil. She was excited - such an opportunity to understand philosophy and the immense power of these two Incarnations was a rare occurrence. She would go to Hell this morning and meet Satan, guided through the premises by Natasha, the lover of Gaea. In the evening she would meet the Angel Gabriel and the Goddess. This occasion called for black tie dress. So Selena delicately stepped into an elegant black gown with silver trim that was soft and clung to the curves of her newly nearly developed body. Then she put on some makeup and went downstairs for breakfast.  
  
Thanatos was waiting for her as she came downstairs. Lanscombe appeared with a bowl of oatmeal and some berries, which Selena gladly accepted with a sunny smile. As she sat down, Thanatos told her, "You had better eat quickly. This trip will really take nearly the whole day."  
  
Selena grinned and told him, "I can't wait! It's going to be wonderful!"  
  
Thanatos returned her smile, but his was a bit wistful. "Yes, I wish I could go too."  
  
"Why can't you?"  
  
"Incarnations aren't supposed to know each other's secrets. Then we can find each other's weaknesses and take over."  
  
This was a good enough reason, but Selena was still a bit perturbed. She finished her food quickly and said, "Will you bring me to Gaea now?"  
  
There was a sliding sound and Lachesis appeared in the hall with a thread in her hand. "Come, child, we don't have all day. My, how you've grown since I last saw you!" she said.   
  
Selena turned to Thanatos and shrugged. Then she stood up and took Lachesis' hand. "I am ready," she said. She waved to Death with her free hand. Then Lachesis flicked out the thread and Selena slid up to the Treehouse of Earth. Gaea was waiting outside.  
  
"I didn't want to make you have to run the gauntlet," she said.   
  
"We are ready," Lachesis told her.  
  
"Then I will summon Natasha." Gaea sat down with her harp and played a single line of a beautiful melody. A man appeared, as if out of nowhere. He was tall, with golden hair, and very handsome. Selena was blown away.  
  
"Ah, my love, why do you call me?" he asked Gaea with a gentle smile.  
  
Gaea melted in his gaze and smiled back. Their feelings were so transparent that Selena could practically feel each one's love for the other. Finally, Gaea answered, "This is Selena, Natasha. She is here on a tour of Purgatory, because we believe it is necessary for her destiny. Please do not mention the original names of myself, the Incarnation of Good, or Lachesis in her presence."  
  
Natasha looked at Selena. "Do you understand these restrictions?" he asked with a playful smile.  
  
Selena liked him already. "No, but my mother told me not to tell any Incarnation, except for Mars, her identity."  
  
He nodded as though this were the most important information in this realm. "I shall have to think about this. Gaea, would you like to come with us?"  
  
"There is nothing I should like more," she said, and accepted his hand. Selena took his other arm and he led the two lovely women down to Hell.  
  
~*~  
  
When they arrived in Hell, a gnarled man was sitting at a desk. He seemed to be logging entries. He wrote in large script 'Satan, Gaea, and a good mortal girl'. Selena caught his powerful thought. 'This is most against protocol. Gaea never comes down here except in disguise, and he has never brought a mortal with him, besides the one who was occupied by Jolie. What's going on?'  
  
Selena didn't bother to try and dampen her talent. It didn't really work, anyway. Besides, she found that she rather liked hearing the thoughts of others. She noticed, though, that Gaea and Lachesis' thoughts were strangely monitored. Peculiar.   
  
Another man, apparently the past Incarnation of Evil Lucifer, came to greet them.   
  
"Ah, my lord Satan, welcome back to Hell. Nothing of consequence has happened, although the Purgatory news will have a field day with your wife's open visit to Hell, without disguise, and with the daughter of the Savior of man, too!"  
  
"Hush!" said Gaea quickly. "She doesn't..."  
  
Selena interrupted the discussion. "Yes, I do know. I know only that she cast the important vote, though - I don't think that I have nearly all of the information I wish I had, but for now, this is enough."  
  
"Indeed," Gaea said smoothly, unruffled.  
  
Now Selena turned to Natasha. "You are Satan?" she asked, nonplussed.  
  
He nodded grimly. "Yes. My mortal name is Parry, and my Incarnation name is Satan, and I called myself Natasha when I courted Gaea, as a human. It is really just 'Ah, Satan' backwards. I knew that you would find out about my power here." He didn't look altogether thrilled with this.  
  
Selena looked at him questioningly. "How is it that you, a good man, can be the Incarnation of Evil? I don't know that much of you, actually, but you seem nice enough, and I know that Evil can't love, so you must be good, because you two obviously love each other. I just think I'm missing something."  
  
Gaea smiled warmly. "You aren't missing anything, dear. Natasha is a good man, as you have surmised; He invokes the Evil in the world so he can separate it from the Good. He is not evil, personally; He just brings evil on the earth to the surface. There is only one truly evil Incarnation - the Incarnation of Chaos. We know he exists, but we haven't contacted him yet. But you are right, Natasha is good."  
  
Selena's head was spinning. Satan took the two women through Hell, to the Heaven annex, to the rivers, of Death, Fire, et cetera, even to the dungeons where the people were suffering for their sins. Selena found all of this truly interesting. Growing up with Luna Kaftan, a fighter for Good, she had never much had a chance to experience evil, or war. This opportunity was giving her a very mature outlook on the subject.   
  
After the tour, Satan took her to a palace-type edifice. Several past Incarnations of Evil were lounging around, such as Beelzebub, Lucifer, whom they had met before, and the Egyptian god Set. There was also one Incarnation with a shining halo who was obviously not evil. Satan walked up to him and shook his hand, then turned to Selena.  
  
"Selena, Gaea, this is JHVH, the God of the Hebrews. He will tour you through Heaven, I think."  
  
JHVH nodded. "Yes. I like the new Goddess - she really has the potential to bring out all of the good in the world. I shall tour you through the Ten Levels of Heaven."  
  
"Do not speak my mortal name, nor the Goddess', nor my mother's," Gaea cautioned.  
  
JHVH shrugged. "All right. Let's go, then. See you later, Satan."  
  
Selena shook his hand. Gaea hugged him and gave Satan a passionate kiss, then ran off.   
  
~*~  
  
JHVH showed the two women around Heaven with a certain unattached diffidence. "This is Limbo, where the almost-balanced souls reside and where the evil souls sent up here by accident used to reside." He smiled obscurely. "The new Goddess has made sure that no souls are misplaced."  
  
"Well, that's good. If I was a ninety-five percent good person, I wouldn't want to end up in Hell," Selena said.  
  
"I wouldn't let you," Gaea told her.  
  
The two women looked at each other and smiled. JHVH shook his head, as if to say, 'Women! Who can understand them?' Selena found out that her experience with reading the thoughts of others made her more perceptive to body language. After all, people tended to stand a certain way when they were feeling disgust, confusion, happiness, et cetera.   
  
But Selena was learning too much about Heaven to think carefully about her talent. Each of the ten levels was modeled after a planet. She enjoyed most the level with the spirits of righteous rulers, because there were only about a hundred of them, and the Sphere of Angels. The Angels had many wings and one or two halos, depending on rank. The Angel Gabriel, God's second in command, was the only exception. He just looked like a normal man. He was very kind to the threesome, as well; most of the other Angels had an air of superiority about them. Selena was shocked to find that Gabriel seemed rather like a normal man.   
  
"Why, hello, former Incarnation! How are you? The Goddess has requested your presence in the Tenth Sphere, so I shall not keep you long." He turned to Gaea and smiled at her. "It is good to see you again, Mother Earth. How is business?"  
  
"Gaea smiled lightly. "Oh, the usual. Cloning, bioengineering, in-depth genetic studies. All those headaches."  
  
Gabriel nodded and smiled. Lastly, he turned to Selena. He smiled at her and gazed at JHVH. JHVH quickly said, "Angel Gabriel, first among Angels, this is Selena Kaftan."  
  
Gabriel nodded. "Oh. The Goddess has informed me of the stricture of names. I am very glad to meet you."  
  
Selena nodded. "As am I."  
  
Introductions dispensed with, Gabriel led the three into the Sphere of Tenth Heaven.  
  
Much to Selena's surprise, a young-looking woman radiating a golden glow was sitting in a desk chair, working hard on a large, neat pile of papers. There was a high-tech looking computer in front of her as well. She looked more than a bit like a secretary.  
  
When the woman heard them, she stood up and walked over. Selena gaped. Although she had seemed to be in her forties while working, the woman could not actually be more than twenty-five! She had golden hair and eyes and was very beautiful. She smiled at the group radiantly. "Thank you, Gabriel; I can take this," she said smoothly. Gabriel nodded and left, presumably to go back to Ninth Heaven. The woman turned back to the travelers.   
  
"Welcome to my demesne, Former Incarnation of Good, Current Incarnation of Earth, and Future Incarnation. Especially you, Selena. I knew your mother well, you favor her."   
  
Selena gulped and blurted out, "Future Incarnation?"  
  
The Goddess smiled. "Yes, you are to be an Incarnation. I can tell you this. I am very pleased to meet you."  
  
Selena blushed. "I am also very pleased to meet you." She smiled winningly at the Incarnation. "Why do you work in a place that looks like a cubicle?"  
  
The Goddess smiled warmly. "My office is more than it looks. Nearly every person and most places are," she added cryptically. Selena nodded slightly. She could tell as much. But the Goddess continued. "The papers are pleas for My help in matters. Prayers, you may call them. The Angels put the prayers onto paper; I read the requests. Then I use my computer to home in on the person requesting, and I can see their whole personality. Often I grant justified wishes; sometimes I do not, because the person is not deserving, or because there is a better solution." The Incarnation of Good sighed. "For example, a bright, pretty young lady once asked Me for a young man she wished would notice her. I did not grant the wish, and when the young man didn't notice her, she got involved with someone else instead; her true soulmate." The Goddess stopped speaking.  
  
Selena was fascinated. What a difficult and wonderful job this woman held! Then she ventured, shyly, "Gabriel mentioned you wanted to see JHVH..."  
  
The Incarnation hit herself in the forehead with the heel of her hand. "Oops! Thanks for reminding me. I got a particularly difficult request, and I would like some help from you three on it. But especially Selena, now that I think of it," she said thoughtfully.  
  
Gaea did not seem overly surprised. "Tell us, Incarnation, please."  
  
The Goddess nodded. "There are two young women, as close as sisters, but really friends. The two girls both fell in love with the same man. He only loved one of them, and the two had an affair. Now the girl is pregnant and all three are wishing for conflicting dreams. The pregnant girl wants the man to marry her and keep the baby, the other girl, who doesn't know about the affair or the pregnancy, wants the man to love her, and the man wants his girlfriend to lose the baby so they can continue on together. I don't think he has a long term relationship in mind." She took a deep breath. "The girls are both very good, the man is only fifty-five percent good. What should I do?"  
  
The three women were all stumped. First Gaea spoke. "I believe that you should see how strong the unattached girl's feeling for this man is."  
  
She nodded. "I did that - the young lady would rather die than lose both best friend and love."  
  
Selena looked thoughtful. "This may sound...sadistic, but there is a way."  
  
"Is there?"  
  
"Give the man to the pregnant woman. Let him fall in love with her so completely he wants to marry her. Then," Selena took a deep and shaky breath, "then have the other girl commit suicide. I know it sounds horrible, but then she will be a ghost, and she can share consciousness with her friend."  
  
Gaea scrunched up her nose. "It isn't perfect."  
  
The Goddess looked excited. "It isn't perfect, but there is no perfect way. This way, all will be happy. Thank you, Selena!" She turned and began to walk away. Then she jogged back. "I fear I must leave you. Will I see you again soon?"  
  
"Yes - at Chronos' changing, in two evenings."  
  
"Oh, wonderful!" Exclaimed the Goddess. Then she disappeared.  
  
Gaea and Selena looked at each other and shrugged. It was time to return to the Death Mansion.  
  
~*~  
  
On the way there, the sky grew very dark. Gaea looked worried. JHVH had parted company some time ago, and the two women were all alone.   
  
Suddenly, the sky developed a cloud, and a woman appeared before them.  
  
Her image was in black and white, like an old movie. She was dark and lovely, yet she emanated power. Gaea tensed. "Hello, Nox."  
  
Nox spoke into Selena's mind. "Come into the Chaos tomorrow with Clotho and meet with me. Your destiny will be revealed." Then she disappeared.  
  
Selena felt a spiritual chill. What was going on?  
  
~*~  
Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to get up, I went to Japan. The next chapter should be up soon. I encourage you to review and to email me at DonnaGZ@aol.com. Please. How often must I say it?  



	6. Endless Night

Selena awoke the next morning to the sounds of birds. She opened her eyes and saw tree bark.  
  
Tree bark? What was going on?  
  
She bolted out the door, still in her glamorous but now wrinkled dress from the prior day. Immediately she knew what had happened. She had fallen asleep in Gaea's Treehouse, and Gaea had graciously provided her with a bed to sleep in.  
  
Selena sighed and returned to her room. She went to the closet and found a pair of tight black jeans and a silky black spaghetti strap shirt. Then she carefully combed her glossy hair and put on some makeup. Today she had her official meeting with Nox, and she wanted to look nice. She couldn't have explained why.  
  
The Treehouse was empty. Selena wasn't hungry, really, so she started off on the path to the Chaos. She didn't want Fate to come with her - this was her journey. Selena felt that this trip was hers alone, not to be shared with an Incarnation.   
  
Soon the edge of the Chaos came into sight. Selena got a little scared. Trees were growing strangely, the land was dark and murky, and she couldn't see ten feet beyond her face. What was going on?  
  
**Ah, you are here, my child** Came Nox's voice in her mind.  
  
Selena wheeled around. Nox was standing on the path behind her, looking exactly the same as yesterday. Still lovely, in her midnight fashion, and still in black and white. Nox smiled at Selena, and said, **do you wish to know your destiny?**  
  
Selena nodded. "I am ready."  
  
**Good. My child, your destiny is to become an Incarnation, as the Goddess told you. But not just any minor Incarnation. Do you know which?**  
  
"Well, I suppose it will be Chronos. He's changing tomorrow evening, after all. But I shall only have eighteen years in office - why bother?"  
  
**You have a quick mind, which is essential for the office you will hold. Your surmise is logical but incorrect. You are not destined to be Chronos, but to be the next Nox - Incarnation of Night.**  
  
Selena gaped. Incarnation of Night? She? Was this all some big mistake?  
  
**I know what you are thinking, and it is not a mistake. You were destined for the position from the time when you were conceived. Now, my child, there is one prerequisite. Find your history, your relatives. Talk to them, and you will be ready.** Nox disappeared into the night, but then returned. **I am giving you one of the powers of the Mistress of Secrets. You can travel anywhere, by dematerializing.**  
  
Selena was skeptical, but she decided to test it. Home, she thought. I'll go home.  
  
Instantly she was in the manor of Luna Kaftan. Luna was talking with Death, quite companionably. Selena started to rematerialize.  
  
Then she stopped. Something strange was going on here. Death, talking to her mother? They could be friends, after Luna saved the world, but what was going on?  
  
"Luna, I have a problem," he was saying. "I've been touring this girl around Purgatory, and I lost her. Do you know how I can find her?"  
  
Luna snorted. "Easily. Just ask the Purgatory Computer. It will locate her instantly."  
  
The skull face managed to look embarrassed. "I guess that's obvious. I was just so worried about her, and I...well, you knew what to do. You always do." He pecked her on the cheek. "It's one of the things I love about you."  
  
By now Selena was thoroughly confused. Thanatos and her mother were in love? How was that possible? She chose this moment to rematerialize.  
  
"Hello, Thanatos, Mother," she said reproachfully.  
  
Both adults started. They looked at her and said, in unison, "Selena!" Then they looked at each other.  
  
"Selena is our daughter? This is the child you wouldn't ever let me see? What's going on, Luna?" Thanatos was talking very fast in a strangled voice.  
  
Luna spoke up, quietly. "It is good to see you, dear. It has been a while. I know what you are about to say - yes, Thanatos is your father. I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, but you wouldn't have gone to Purgatory for this whole long trip if you knew, and then, your destiny would have been..." she started to cry.  
  
Selena crossed the room to her mother. "Don't cry, please, Mom. I found out my destiny this morning. I am going to be Nox, Incarnation of Night. She said the only test was to find out my lineage. Now I know that I was descended from one side by Thanatos, and by the other side..."  
  
"There's more," said Thanatos. "Your mother's grandmother...well, let me explain. There was a young woman, the most beautiful of her generation, who married a young man. They had a son. Then the father died, and the mother gave up her life on earth to become Clotho."  
  
Luna picked up the story. "The woman stayed as Clotho for thirty eight years. Then she decided to marry the cousin of her former husband. The cousin had already married and had a daughter, but his wife had died as well. So the young woman and her deceased husband's cousin were married, and her son married the cousin's daughter."  
  
Selena assimilated all of this, and asked, "Then what happened?"  
  
"The young woman, whose name was Niobe, had a daughter with her second husband Pacian. The daughter's name was Orb. Niobe's son, Magician Kaftan, and his wife, Blenda, had a daughter also, and her name was Luna." Thanatos looked at Luna fondly. "Orb was a truly gifted musician. She worked in a circus for a while, then fell in love with a mime there, Mym. She had a daughter by him, Orlene, but Mym was actually an Indian Prince, so he had to leave her."  
  
Selena was beginning to draw connections. "You mean.."  
  
"Orb, who is technically my aunt, was then seduced by Satan in the form of Natasha, which is Ah, Satan backwards. She fell in love with him and decided that she would have to marry him. Then she found out who he was, but she still loved him, and he loved her. They are still together," Luna continued.  
  
Now Selena was sure. "You mean that Gaea is Orb? That means that Lachesis is Niobe! And that means that Orlene's father has to be the Incarnation of War!"  
  
"The same," Thanatos agreed. "Orlene led a rather interesting life. She was adopted when her mother became Gaea, and she entered into a ghost marriage and fell in love with Norton. She became pregnant, had a baby, and then the child died. She committed suicide, and Norton became the Incarnation of Time. Later, she became the Incarnation of Good."  
  
Selena nodded. This did not seem particularly strange. "So now I will be the Incarnation of Night, drawing all of the Incarnations together."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Thank you." Selena looked at her watch. "I'd better go. I love you!" She hugged them both, and left.  
  
Selena dematerialized back into the chaos. Nox was in front of her.  
  
**My child, are you ready?**  
  
"I am ready," she said. She opened her arms, and she felt her awareness begin to spread.  
  
  
Finis  
~*~  
  
Author's Note:  
  
So ends the series Darkest Night. I hope all readers enjoyed all of the stories in it; I put a lot of work into them!   
If I can drum up enough interest I will write a sequel series about Nox saving the world from the Incarnation of Chaos, the ultimate evil. But I won't write it if not enough people want me to. SO PLEASE, IF YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE, EMAIL ME OR REVIEW MY STORY!!!  
Thanks to all who have helped the Darkest Night series come to life.  
  
  



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